Karbonn K9 Kavach 4G First Impression: An entry level smartphone that serves the purpose

Karbonn, as we all know, is an Indian smartphone brand eminent for its products in the budget segment. Karbonn has a focused strategy and proffers smartphones that are loaded with features and yet are priced generously. This strategy has not only earned Karbonn a loyal consumer base but it has also given the brand a commendable reputation in India.

Karbonn now also ships smartphones to Nepal, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Middle East and even Europe. Considering the fact that Karbonn's inception took place in 2009, the company has certainly come a long way.

Karbonn launched the K9 Kavach 4G smartphone today in Delhi. What's interesting is that the conglomerate joined hands with NPCI i.e. National Payments Corporation of India to incorporate the BHIM app in the smartphone. Both Karbonn and NPCI look forward to increasing the count of online transactions in the country by introducing K9 Kavach with preloaded BHIM app.

The added security feature in the smartphone is also something to look forward to. Launched at Rs. 5290 this device just might be the first smartphone with more to come with BHIM app.

Specifications- Just enough to run a smartphone

K9 Kavach has a quad-core processor that operates at a capacity of 1.25 GHz. It is paired with 1GB RAM and has an inbuilt storage of 8GB. The memory is expandable to 32GB via micro SD card.

It has a 2300 mAh battery which is certainly enough to pull the phone usage to 12 hours. However, how well the battery performs is something we will know once we conduct a full-scale review.

The smartphone supports 4g VoLTE and has dual sim card slot. It supports one GSM and another WCDMA sim.

Design- Few come-hither elements

The smartphone's front panel is dark and contrasting to the rest of the body. It sports front camera on the right side of the in-ear speaker and a front flash on the left side.

The rear panel has a primary snapper with dual-LED flash sitting right next to it. The fingerprint sensor is placed right below the camera and both the camera and the sensor have a shiny periphery which adds up to whatever aesthetic the smartphone offers.

Volume rockers and lock/unlock toggle are on the right side edge of the smartphone while audio jack and charging are at the top.

The speaker is placed at the base of the rear panel behind fine grills. Looking at the size of the grill one can assume that speaker is quite small.

The design is quite simple and that is more of a compliment since Karbonn has always stood up for simplicity. There are a few elements in the smartphone that do enhance its look

Camera- 5MP duo on front and back

The smartphone has rear as well as front 5MP shooters. This information is enough to convey the message that the camera on K9 Kavach is not meant for camera enthusiasts. The front camera, however, does get a flash support which is a feature that gives this smartphone a lead over its rivals in the same budget segment.

The quality of the pictures clicked by the camera is very basic and that does not mean it is poor. There is not a lot one can expect from 5MP smartphone cameras.

The front flash allows users to click selfies even in the dark.

Display- Downright oversaturated

The smartphone has a 5-inch HD IPS display. Although it has an HD display the quality does suffer due to the price factor. The display is oversaturated and lacks sharpness and in the first look, it seems that it is not at par with competitors.

Operating system- Android Nougat 7.0

Karbonn K9 Kavach 4G comes with Android Nougat 7.0 out of the box. Nougat is yet the latest and the best Android version and Karbonn certainly gets a plus one for incorporating it in the smartphone.

BHIM app and Karbonn Kavach

Karbonn has gained NPCI's support and K9 Kavach comes with BHIM app pre-loaded on the smartphone. This is an entry-level smartphone and NPCI hopes to introduce BHIM to the less tech-savvy lot through this device.

It can be safely assumed that Karbonn will launch more smartphones with inbuilt BHIM app in coming months.

The next big feature of the smartphone is the Kavach support, which is where the smartphone gets its name from. Kavach is basically an app lock feature already incorporated in K9.

Conclusion

Karbonn has done well when it comes to entry-level smartphones and K9 Kavach will not be an exception. Offline retailers will certainly help Karbonn in selling out the device with two highlight features to flaunt accompanied with a front flash and fingerprint sensor.

There is much to discover about the device which we will hopefully do when we provide you an in-depth review of K9 Kavach.